Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa, Nicaragua, was sentenced on Feb 10 to 26 years and four months in prison, accused of being a “traitor to the homeland.” In recent days, authorities have not disclosed where he is being held. The prelate, who refused to be deported along with 222 other political prisoners sent to the Read more
News Shorts
Ban On Interest Deductibility Hits Rental Market
Monday, March 13th, 2023“The loss of tax deductibility on interest costs is having a negative impact on the rental market. A future government of any stripe must bring it back as soon as possible,” says Tim Kearins, Owner of Century 21 New Zealand. His comments follow a survey, commissioned by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, that Read more
Pakistan Catholics clarify pope’s remarks on homosexuality
Monday, March 13th, 2023Catholic leaders in Pakistan are explaining the Church’s position on homosexuals and human dignity after a Pakistani protestant leader’s intemperate remarks on Pope Francis’ criticism of laws that criminalize homosexuality as “unjust.” “Being homosexual isn’t a crime,” the pope reportedly said during an interview with The Associated Press in January adding that God loves all Read more
Hong Kong’s Catholic bishop to visit Beijing in first trip in decades
Monday, March 13th, 2023Hong Kong’s top Catholic cleric, Bishop Stephen Chow, will visit Beijing in April, the first such visit in nearly 30 years. Chow’s five-day trip, to start on April 17, follows an invitation last year by the Bishop of Beijing, Joseph Li Shan, the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese said in a statement on Thursday. It cited Read more
Pope Francis continues to consolidate Italian dioceses
Thursday, March 9th, 2023Continuing a trend that has accelerated in recent years, Pope Francis on March 4 united two Italian dioceses in persona episcopi [in the person of the bishop]. While continuing to govern the Archdiocese of Matera-Irsina (which was formed from a 1976 diocesan merger), Archbishop Antonio Giuseppe Caiazzo will also govern the Diocese of Tricarico. It Read more
Arise board members barred from recruiting migrant workers
Thursday, March 9th, 2023Fallout at Pentecostal church Arise is continuing with multiple board members barred from recruiting migrant workers. The board was issued with an infringement notice by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) Labour Inspectorate in January relating to a request to supply information of specific employee records. Seven trustees have temporarily been stood down Read more
Bishops in Southern Africa agree to prayers but not blessings for same-sex couples
Thursday, March 9th, 2023The Synod of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa (ACSA) has failed to agree on the blessing of same-sex unions. After four sessions of “quietly impassioned, but respectful debate” — the Synod’s first in-person meeting since the Covid lockdowns — the Archbishop of Cape Town, Dr Thabo Makgoba, announced that the Bishops were Read more
Housekeeper’s husband confesses to bishop’s murder
Thursday, March 9th, 2023
Carlos Medina, the husband of Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell’s housekeeper, has admitted to murdering the bishop, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón said in a press conference on Wednesday. “He admitted that he had done the killing and we believe we recovered the weapon that they were using, and we have other evidence Read more
Tensions rise on eve of last German synodal way assembly
Thursday, March 9th, 2023Tensions are rising in the Catholic Church in Germany ahead of this week’s final assembly of the controversial “synodal way.” Speaking days before the March 9-11 gathering in Frankfurt, the initiative’s co-president Irme Stetter-Karp expressed surprise at the German bishops’ plan to submit changes to documents that may struggle to gain a two-thirds majority of Read more
Pope Francis cuts free and discounted rent for cardinals, Vatican managers
Monday, March 6th, 2023Pope Francis has cut housing perks for Vatican managers and cardinals in order to save the Church money. Reuters and Vatican News reported March 1 that cardinals and other high-level positions at the Vatican will no longer be able to live in Vatican-connected apartments for free or at special prices. The Vatican owns an extensive Read more